


Pearl of the Orion

by Nimonsooda



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Adventure, Alternate Universe - Space Opera, Eventual Smut, Extraterrestrial Species, Hybrids, Jongin's best friend is a space ship called Areum, M/M, Mystery, Romance, Science Fiction, Startrek references, Strangers to Lovers, a little bit of action, world building
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-15
Updated: 2021-01-15
Packaged: 2021-03-17 00:01:55
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 10,682
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28715445
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nimonsooda/pseuds/Nimonsooda
Summary: Jongin is arguably the best courier *smuggler* across the galaxies, holding the best record for prompt delivery and great customer service. When his long term patron shows up with a special request, Jongin not only gets tangled in a peace disrupting controversy but also is forced to partner with a doe-eyed Martian.
Relationships: Do Kyungsoo | D.O/Kim Jongin | Kai
Comments: 13
Kudos: 31
Collections: Kaisoo OLAO Chapter Three





	1. Welcome Aboard!

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! It is a pleasure to join the OLAO fest time and time again. 
> 
> First I would like to thank the mods for keeping up with the fest despite the shit storm of a year we had for 2020. 
> 
> Secondly, it took a lot out of me to write this piece since I have a severe syndrome called unproductivity but thanks to the prompter of this story, I created a story I am not used to exploring. Although it is a little different from the core idea of the prompt, I hope you still enjoy it.  
> The prompt is "Jongin was used to smuggling goods alone through space. Fewer people, less chance to get caught. When he was offered a part in a smuggling operation, he did not expect his partner to stay after the operation."
> 
> Lastly to readers, I will try my best to explain the world in case, you guys might get confused. I am not so good with the notes section of AO3 so please be patient with me. And this un-betated so there might be weird wordings lol. English ain't my first language either.
> 
> Then, enjoy!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I will be explaining some of the terms I make up here. 
> 
> UNiOn - it is a giant intergalactic civilian organization that oversees many agencies and departments for the livelihood of the inhabitants in the Colonies. Aside from the Ministry of Defense, the UNiOn holds autonomous authority over every sector that has to do with extraterrestrial Colonies occupied by the First World. 
> 
> The First World - this is the obvious inspiration I have drawn from our current space exploration status of the Earth. Many of the references of spaces and territories are direct usage of the original contents of our world. 
> 
> Colonies - including all the planets from our Solar system, there are several unnamed territories colonized by the space explorers of the First World and later governed under the registration of the UNiOn.
> 
> Credits - monetary system or official currency of the Colonies recognized by the UNiOn. Consider this as Euro but credit has a higher and consistent value than Euro. You cannot escape Capitalism even in space. 
> 
> B.I.O - it is a customizable electronic chip or card that can be used as a personal device for identification, wallet. It can also project holographic images preinstalled into its system. Think of this as our smartphones. 
> 
> Okay, that's about it.

“Credits have been transferred. Access code sent to _BIO_. Charging Complete.”

“Thank you, Areum.” 

“You are welcome, Jon-g- _in_.”

Jongin smiles at the system’s attempt to pronounce his birth name. She’s perfect in all she could be but is still struggling a bit with intonations in his name. 

His black tail whirls rapidly to the door of the cockpit. Nerves tickling his spine as he hastily reaches for his _BIO_. 

The door opens with a low hiss, he stares at Byun’s horrendous looking boots striking towards him. 

“Good evening Captain.” Byun bemuses. Jongin glares at him for showing up unannounced. Yet again. 

He also puffs up his tail to add how unwelcome Byun is.

“Goodness! Where are your manners? Is this how you treat your biggest patron?” Byun teases further, even taking a seat in one of the few unoccupied seats covered in all sorts of things. 

“Yet here you are,” Jongin retorts. 

“Why yes? You are the best courier in the galaxies.” Byun answers with a nasal voice. 

“You mean smuggler. Please don’t flutter me and just get to the point.” Jongin urges, finally feeling the bone aching tiredness from the previous mission. 

“You have wounded me, young one.” Byun feigns a cry as he collapses on the mountain of Jongin’s _clean_ laundry. 

“ _BIO,_ display the O:R:D:E:R,” Byun yells into the air. Holographic images hover near Jongin’s field of vision. 

He sighs in resignation, “Status confirmed. Open inquiry.”

A blue planet, seemingly covered with a dense water body all over its surface. No other orbiting planets around it. Its atmosphere gives off greyish smoke as if covering it from any debris from outer space.

**Name** \- Daian 

**UNiOn Code** \- Da:01

 **Treaty** \- Not Established 

**Explorer Status** \- Heritage Site

 **Planetary Habitability** \- Classified

“Why are you showing me a rogue planet?” Jongin asks Byun, puzzled by the limited information displayed.

Even with the norm of discretion required for him to smuggle stuff across the galaxies, this vague set of information is a little too limited, even for him. 

Usually, without knowing exactly what the job intends, he rarely takes up any offer. Besides, he just finished delivering Uranium guns to the Bay. The credits from that job alone filled up a generous portion of his set goal. Now at 92%.

So, Jongin is in no rush to take up another order. But it seems urgent, judging by how nonchalant Byun is acting despite showing up unannounced.

“The UNiOn wants you to take it,” Byun supplies. Now sitting up from his previous position as he shuffles his hand inside his backpack. Byun produces a small velvet box with a glowing lock sealing it shut. 

“We need you to deliver this to the Temple of Daian.” 

“Um, I need more information than that,” Jongin replies despite taking the velvet box handed to him. 

When he accidentally brushes over the glowing lock, the velvet box slowly opens. A single pearl is primly lodged inside. Its iridescent hue illuminates the dark box faintly. 

“It’s beautiful,” Jongin comments offhandedly. 

“It’s a Meido. The last of its kind. It turned up at the Treasury a week ago. Some bloke lost all their estate at the Bay and the Meido is one of his family heirlooms. A shame for him but it works in our favor. The UNiOn has been trying to hold a treaty with the High Priestess of Daian but somehow she never really responds to any of our diplomatic calls,” Byun explains. 

Jongin remains pensive, waiting for Byun to continue. 

“Well, until now at least. Just an hour after Meido turned up in the Treasury, she sent over one of her attendants. They said she is willing to make a _negotiation_ if we hand over the Meido.” 

How strange. High Priestesses and the Higher Orders usually refrain from using any of the modern technology unlike the rest of the galaxies. Jongin always deems them as stuck-up pricks unless this High Priestess is an oddball who collects pieces of jewelry from the First World. 

Aren’t they supposed to stay away from any sort of material possessions? 

“The UNiOn will compensate you on your term this time. It is important for us. This delivery,” Byun stresses seriously. 

Jongin could care less about what the UNiOn has planned for the treaty with Daian. But they are the most powerful federation in all of the colonies and having dealt with them for almost a decade, Jongin learns to know there’s always a catch. 

“So what’s the catch?” He asks Byun just that. His tail swaying languidly behind his back, showing his curiosity. He couldn’t control his feline counterparts as well as his human ones. 

“Sharp boy, aren’t you? Nothing ever gets past K:A:I,” Byun whistles. Jongin ignores Byun’s remark with an eye-roll. 

Byun may be the oldest human being in the galaxy who has all the time in the universe but Jongin has no such time to spare. He wonders how this human isn’t tired of living way past his life span. Then again, he suspects maybe that is one of the reasons why Byun is working for the UNiOn. And also finding amusement in pestering Jongin. 

“So the planet is a ballooning state. It means it is older than when the First World collapsed. As _BIO_ showed you before, no known inhabitants aside from the High Priestess and her attendants. And you and I both know it’s better than to question how these High Order folks live.” 

Jongin mumbles a curse. A planet in a ballooning state is basically impenetrable, meaning he is fucked. There is no way he could enter its atmosphere without slicing Areum and himself into two. He needs a pathfinder. Fickle little rascals who work as path guides across the galaxies and their _infinity_ eyes are known for pinpointing minuscule energy threads that thinly connect the planets. 

The problem here isn’t even about finding them. Jongin just doesn’t work with anyone. He does all his business alone. No partner means no trouble. 

“I work alone,” Jongin informs just in case Byun has conveniently decided to forget his working conditions and terms. “Besides, there is no way a pathfinder would want to work with me. They care too much about their records to even think about stepping to my thieving ways,” he adds, even when he doesn’t believe what he has just said. 

“Oh I know,” Byun snickers, ignoring Jongin. “That’s why I found you a partner. With us, the UNiOn involved, we could provide the best to our best delivery man. Don’t you worry, you moody kitty,” Byun grins. 

“ _BIO_ , show C:O:N:T:A:C:T O-Twelve,” Byun commands the system and plops his ass onto Jongin’s pilot seat. 

The holographic images hover over Jongin again, this time it doesn’t ask for his permission to proceed. 

There is no visual showing what his supposed partner looks like but instead, a bunch of stats illuminates, just like how it did for the Planet Daian. 

**Name** \- D.O

 **UNiOn Class** \- Class S

 **UNiOn Code** \- MOS:012

 **Species** \- Deimon

 **Type** \- Pathfinder

 **Planet** \- Mars

 **Treaty** \- Intergalactic Neural Zone

A Class S agent from the UNiOn is going to be working with him. Well, that’s new. 

“You said the UNiOn will compensate me on my terms,” Jongin repeats what Byun has said. When he receives a nod, he continues, “I want a Multi-Pass to Lund.” 

Byun farrows his eyebrows but keeps mum. Jongin stares at the human, from all the work he has done for the UNiOn, they have never failed to keep their side of the bargain. He hopes it will be the same for this time as well.

“Yeah. They said anything. Jongin, you have my word.” 

“Great. Areum is charged but I still need to do a complete scan on her. When is your agent boarding?” Jongin questions, he needs to prepare for the supplies and also ring up the Library to do some research about the Planet Dain just in case. 

“Oh. He’s already here actually,” Byun answers sheepishly. 

“He’s in my ship. Waiting. Actually, I have another favour. He kinda needs a place to stay and I told him you are okay with meeting him now,” Byun adds and avoids making eye contact with Jongin. 

Jongin looks incredulous at the human, speechless that this man could have this amount of audacity to act this way. Great! Now all of a sudden, he has to board a stranger who also is a UNiOn agent on his ship.

“He’s a very good kid. I know his family and he has a good track record. He would definitely make a great roommate,” Byun tries as Jongin glares at him. The hybrid sighs out loud. 

So there is no stalling in meeting his supposed partner. 

“Just bring him up on the dock in….” Jongin contemplates, glancing around all the mess on his floor, “in 15 minutes.” 

Byun beams at him as he rushes out of the cockpit. 

“Areum, please booth up the Home Assistant and prepare for Flight.” He commands Areum then the ship slowly hums to life. 

“Home Assistant activated. Preparing for Flight. Take off in Zero Eight Zero Minute,” Areum informs. 

The floor illuminates and buzzes gently. Jongin is so glad that he decided to purchase the Housekeeping program after his mishap at the Bay. He will never board a bunch of Bayian into his ship no matter what the hot bartender at the casino tells him ever again.

He remembers waking up with a Megatron level of headache and all sorts of unidentifiable liquids on his ship’s floor. If it wasn’t for the emergency lockdown of the cockpit, god knows what part of the galaxies he would wake up to.

Not only was he robbed even though nothing worth crying over was taken, but it also pisses him off to this day that it took him a week to get all the gunks out of his control room.

“Clean up complete. Home Assistant deactivated.” Areum announces.

Incoming Call. Jongin taps his _BIO_ and is greeted immediately by Byun’s voice. 

“Can we come up to the dock now?” Byun asks. 

“Yeah. Come up. I already set up the ledge.” Jongin confirms. 

Jongin doesn’t know what most Martians look like nor does he care enough to look them up. All he has heard from others is that they have formidable heights and the color of their skin is as red as the sand of their home planet, Mars. 

He exits out of his cockpit and waits over the ledge. Byun has already connected the bridge of his ship to the hybrid’s ledge. 

Jongin couldn’t help but stare at the figure standing beside Byun.

He doesn’t know what he can expect from a Martian, let alone a UNiOn agent. But this is new.

The male standing on the edge of the ledge, for lack of a better word, is small. 

When the agent lands his feet onto the same level as Jongin, he barely makes it to the hybrid’s shoulder. While Jongin is on the smaller side of his feline family, the Martian is _tiny_. 

The agent has a head full of fluffy red hair that could rival the rudy sands of the Planet Mars. Oddly enough his bushy eyebrows are pitch black as they sit cutely on top of his large eyes. 

In the stats, Jongin doesn’t remember seeing a subspecies category but the agent seems to belong to a reptilian descent. The smaller male has translucent third eyelids that occasionally slid vertically over his golden irises. 

The agent stares at Jongin in return. Particularly focused on the movements of Jongin’s black tail flicking lazily over his shoulders. 

Instead of the Martians’ well-known red hot skin, the agent has pale and almost silvery shaded skin. As if resembling the glow of the Meido pearl. 

Jongin greets him with a reassuring smile. He would rather be civil with a UNiOn agent than get on their bad side. The less hostility between them, the faster the delivery will be performed.

Seemingly surprised by Jongin’s friendliness, the agent’s face starts to glow. Just a slow rising glow like the moonlight casting over the seashore, he blinks his third eyelids rapidly at Jongin. 

Jongin can hear a low chuckle from Byun. Before the feline could hiss at the human, the Martian smiles back bashfully. 

Oh, his smile is shaped like a heart.


	2. Kins from the Orient

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I forgot to explain what Meido means in the previous chapter. 
> 
> Meido- it is basically the bastardized romanization of my language for the Queen Mother. In my langue, it is used to address the dowager of a Royalty or the mother figure of the King. 
> 
> The Orient - as the name suggests, it just means people from Asia, I know. It grossly generalizes the continent of Asia into just East Asia but that is the point I am trying to make. Don't yell at me since I am Southeast Asian so I know my stuff.

If the agent has noticed how small his bed-chamber is compared to the rest of the ship, he hasn’t mentioned it. He is just quietly shuffling about and rearranging his belongings. 

The hybrid hopes it is at least comfortable enough. He keeps an extra bed in his storage room in case Sehun decides to visit him from the Bay but the occasion never arises and after the incident with the bartender, Sehun hasn’t shown his face to Jongin’s side of the galaxy. 

Agent Do is bending over the low makeshift bed as he slowly sorts out the items from his bag. Jongin justifies himself loitering around the agent as an act of responsible partner and a host but not out of his sheer need to ogle at the perfect ass attached to the Martian.

The UNiOn issued black body-suit just fits so well on the agent’s body. The latex material hugs the Martian’s thighs tight, lifting his already mesmerizing behind. There is a giant S embroidered on the back of the agent’s suit. It ends up accentuating the subtle curve of his hips well. 

The smaller male doesn’t bring much, a normal-sized suitcase and a UNiOn issued backpack, just like the one Byun brought in when he handed Meido over to Jongin. 

The hybrid wonders how pathfinders actually find paths. There is no physical manifestation of paths, at least seen by the naked eye, pathfinders usually follow strict rules to never use their skills on certain tasks. 

Tasks like entering restricted rogue planets or assisting in criminal acts punishable under the laws of the Colonies. It doesn’t really matter anymore, now that the UNiOn just assigned their agent to commit not only one but two of the criminal acts to just deliver an heirloom pearl from the First World to one of the most elusive species in the Colonies. 

Even a newborn wouldn’t be this stupid enough to think that the delivery will be anything but easy.

While Jongin is lost in his thoughts, the agent gently taps him on his shoulder. He acts rather mellow and reserved from what Jongin has been expecting from a UNiOn agent. If the hybrid doesn’t know better, he would have labeled the agent as timid. UNiOn agents are nothing like the word ‘timid’ could ever suggest. 

“Would you mind showing me the lavatory? I need to change,” the agent asks Jongin politely, even gesturing a sweep-up motion towards his tightly clad suit. 

Jongin’s tail automatically wraps itself around his own waist. Sometimes it has a mind of its own. The agent’s reptilian eyes shift to look at Jongin’s black tail, his expression curious but still reserved. 

“Down the hall and turn left. I don’t have a sign or anything hanging up so the first door to your right is the toilet and to your left is the showers,” Jongin informs, barely stopping his tail from trying to touch the agent’s rudy red hair. He wonders if it feels as soft as it looks. 

The agent gives him a nod and he grabs a small utility bag with him as he leaves. 

Jongin stretches his limbs and mindlessly listens to the joints popping minutely. 

“Areum, any news for the Library?” He asks the system. With a whirring sound, she lights up in front of the monitor. 

“Not yet. Captain Ursula has restricted access to documents relating to First World from outside of the Library compound.” 

Jongin groans. He really doesn’t want to make a pitstop at the Library. He hates how inefficient it is to browse manually in the Library compound when they have the online database for a whole reason. Sometimes he thinks Captain Ursula is too old fashioned to manage the Colonies’ biggest database. 

“Okay then let’s stop by at the Library,” he commands Areum. 

“Roger that, Captain. All units enhanced. Destination Locked.” The tell-tale hum of her mainframe purring gently like a kitten. Jongin catches himself whistling in admiration, he sometimes really sounds like one of those car-guys from Earth. He shakes his head, Byun has been telling him too much about the habitants of that ruined planet. 

“How may I call you?” The agent had asked Jongin when he boarded the ship a few hours ago. Jongin just nonchalantly told him just to call him by his name. After all, he was technically made in a lab - that he did not explain to the curious agent.

Although the agent wasn’t satisfied with Jongin’s vague answer, he didn’t prod further. Then Jongin belatedly realizes that not everyone who works for the UNiOn is as insufferable as Byun.

Anyway, there is not much to hide, since Jongin’s stats are all in the public database. Anyone working with the UNiOn could easily have access to that, especially an S class agent. He thinks maybe it is part of the protocol for such a high ranking agent to work with a third-rate criminal like him. Jongin muses that he can’t be even classified as a criminal since all of his misconducts are filed under “Reviewed under Special Circumstances.”

When the agent returns to the cockpit, Jongin is surprised by how ordinary his partner looks in commoner clothes. The Martian is wearing a baby blue button-down shirt and dark jeans cuffed at the ankles. Everything about Jongin’s partner is shockingly dainty.

“You look like a high school history teacher,” Jongin blurts out. There is no correlation to how the agent dresses could imply that he might in fact be a high school history teacher. 

The agent stares at him with wide eyes. It takes a beat too long for the Martian to respond. Jongin almost thinks that he has finally offended a S class agent and will be sent on his merry way to prison.

“I beg your pardon?” The Martian finally responds. 

“Ah never mind that. It’s just a joke from Earth,” Jongin sheepishly supplies, Byun’s ridiculous stories are starting to rub him off in the most inconvenient times. 

“Anyway, Agent!” The hybrid changes the topic, “Would you like a tour of my humble abode?”

“Kyungsoo.” The agent looks at Jongin expectantly. Jongin’s feline ears twitch at the sudden comment. 

“I- who?”

“My name. It’s my name. Call me Kyungsoo,” the agent supplies, his pale face glowing again. 

“Okay, Kyungsoo'' Jongin rolls out the syllables slowly. Kyungsoo nods firmly, obviously happy that the hybrid is complying with his request. 

Although there is nothing much to show his partner, the agent quietly listens to Jongin’s explanation of how he expanded his little prototyped one cockpit ship into a full functioning living/battle/delivery ship. The hybrid is quite proud of his upgrades and enhancements since he is prone to even tear apart stuffed toys and marshmallows on accident.

Areum is practically a bachelor pad with little to no furniture. All he does in his ship is to deliver the goods, sleep and sometimes upgrade her speed in case he will get chased by his rivals or worse the space militia. 

“Can I ask you a question?” Agent Kyungsoo interrupts Jongin mid-sentence when he was going to explain the Bay incident which was the reason why he installed the expensive Home Assistant program. 

Not very pleased about being interrupted when he is in the zone but he hesitantly gives the tiny Martian permission.    
  


“Um. Are you perhaps of the Orient Origin?” Kyungsoo asks firmly. 

Instead of answering, Jongin instinctively shoots back a hostile, “Why do you care?” 

Jongin knows he can be scary when he wants to be but the Martian doesn’t back down, the hybrid could almost see the other’s reptilian eyes searching for answers on Jongin’s face.

“Perhaps I have misinterpreted your name. It strikes me as you are of the Orient,” Kyungsoo replies steadily, his eyes never leaving Jongin’s. 

The hybrid lifts one of his perfectly groomed eyebrows. “And what will you make out of this if I say yes,” he challenges. Surprisingly, the Martian smiles back and his heart-shaped lips show up instead. 

“Nothing really. Just wondering if there are any of my people left on this side of the galaxy,” Kyungsoo answers wistfully. Jongin studies the Martian’s face, there is no malice marring the other’s expression. “You see, I am of Korean descent. My ancestors were the first to migrate to Mars. There’s used to be thousands of us.”

Jongin waits but Kyungsoo doesn’t continue. Well, he doesn’t need to. All of the colonies know the fate of the Orient Origin. Most of them were wiped out of existence when the First World collapsed. A few remaining are now spread about in the rest of the galaxies. 

“I am not sure if I am of the Orient,” Jongin lies through his teeth. “My fa- I was made in an underground lab in Jupiters. The Head Engineer was laundering the credits from the Neptune project to make us,” Jongin gestures his feline ears and tail. 

“I was the only successful  _ product _ ,” Jongin emphasizes the last part. The agent presses his lips into a thin line. The hybrid doesn’t know if it is out of disgust or pity. He wants neither of that. Not many know of the Neptune project but he doubts that an S class agent wouldn’t be ignorant about one of the biggest scandals that the UNiOn has gotten themselves into. But on the other hand, what does Jongin know?

“Destination Approaching. Permission to dock?” Areum announces as she unintentionally breaks the uncomfortable tension in the air. 

“Permission Granted.” Jongin chimes in immediately. 

“Not that it matters anyway. I prefer to go by the alias KAI. Fewer complications,” Jongin brushes it off. Kyungsoo nods his head slowly but still deep in his thoughts. The hybrid chooses to ignore his peculiar partner. 

After all, he doesn’t need to get to know the Martian. The mission will be over before they know it. 

Jongin begins to walk along the hallway as he has only one place left to show the agent. Kyungsoo follows after him politely. 

He opens the tall storage cabinet where he stores all the delicacies he scored through from his many, many trips. He is very proud of his exquisite taste in cuisine even when he can’t cook properly to save his life. 

“Benevolence.” 

“What?” Jongin turns to look at the Martian. The latter is staring down at the floor as if it is the most interesting part of the hybrid’s ship. 

“That’s what your name means. Jongin means Benevolence in Hangul,” The Martian explains slowly, “In the language of my- our ancestors.” 

The hybrid couldn’t see what expression the agent is making but from the way the tip of his ears glows in a faint white light, Jongin notes his partner is more bashful than reserved.


	3. Compass of Daian

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Planet Daian - it is a play in words for the mythological beings called Naiads. They are distinct to river gods and are subjects of worship by many cults in ancient civilians including the Greeks where their name came from. The reason why the temple is named will be explained in the later chapters. 
> 
> Planet Bay - I think you guys have guessed it but it is just a planet used for gambling and all other legal "illegal" shit permitted for the riches of the Galaxies to blow of the steams. Yes and I quote myself again, even in Space you cannot escape Capitalism.
> 
> I have used Star Trek aliens as a reference since I am not creative enough to make up another alien race.

Jongin pays for the docking fee at the port with the communal card from the UNiOn. He pointedly decides not to spend a penny of his to do the minuscule tasks for the UNiOn. Sehun has told him that being cheap would backfire on him one day. Jongin has simply rebuked the Vulcan that it doesn’t matter since his life is already a dumpster fire. 

Kyungsoo has put on a transparent veil-like cloak over his head and it flows until his hips. Jongin looks at him curiously. 

“My skin cannot handle the atmospheric pressure of this planet. It will break if I get exposed too much,” the agent explains.

Jongin grows wary. “Why didn’t you tell me? I have a spare UV coat in my closet,” The hybrid questions him, slowing down his steps on the path to the Library entrance. 

Kyungsoo whistles out a soft laugh, “Do not worry about me, Captain. We, Martians, are very durable. Besides, I think your coat wouldn’t fit me properly.” Kyungsoo vaguely gestures at his own lithe physique. 

“If you say so,” Jongin complies, instead he explains why they are at the Library and what they will be looking for. 

Jongin needs to get to the Compass archive so that he can review the Planet Daian. Since it is under the non-exploratory zone and worse, there is no treaty established so he cannot use the pre-installed route finder to enter the Planet’s atmosphere. He knows that is where Kyungsoo comes in with his job as a pathfinder but Jongin never goes blind without knowing the basics of the planet’s environment he will be dealing with. 

The hybrid explains that since the Temple of Daian is the final destination where the delivery will be made, it is better for them to analyze the terrestrial layouts and chemical composition surrounding it. There should be no unnecessary hindrance if they could gather how much oxygen they need to fill up in their ground suits. 

With the Original Laws of Nature from the First World being applied to the territories of the Colonies administered by the UNiOn, Jongin gathers that extraterrestrial species outside of the First World have to adjust themselves to live among the institutions built to only accommodate those who originally came from the First World.

Even when both him and Kyungsoo are of humanoid species, Jongin’s unique physiology has proved to be very convenient for him to traverse many planets without facing problems like Kyungsoo. He wonders if the agent should have worn his UNiOn suit since the material can automatically adjust itself to the needs of the agent. 

“Anyway, usually the maps are prohibited to view outside of the Library compound,” Jongin sighs as he scans his  _ BIO _ at the magnetic door of the main entrance, “so we might need to draw our route here before we leave for Daian.”

The hybrid carefully pockets the blue transparent card into his jacket. Kyungsoo follows after him silently, the thermal detector beside the magnetic door immediately lights up as it begins to scan the agent’s through its retinal censors. 

Jongin waits for the red laser to beep its completion. From the common room information, they find out that they have to go up the 46th floor to get to the Compass archive. If Jongin remembers it correctly, they might need special permission to get access to the floors beyond the 20th. 

The hybrid glances at the Martian, “Please tell me your UNiOn agent card can grant us access.” Kyungsoo just smiles at him serenely and says “I wonder.” 

Just as Jongin predicted, the public elevator stops at the 20th floor, they cannot go higher than the general public is allowed to. The Martian has been quiet, fiddling with something he brought from the ship. It was a small rectangular device with a circular button in the middle. 

The device in the agent’s hand has been making beeping sounds occasionally since they ride the elevator from the lobby.

“You are right,” Kyungsoo finally says after they get off the elevator on the 20th floor. 

“Captain Ursula likes bureaucracy a little too much,” He continues, “ but lucky for us, even he has to report under the UNiON.” 

Jongin lets out a sigh of relief, now he doesn’t have to worry about bothering Byun about this. 

“We need to take the elevator from the other side of this hall,” the agent informs as he gestures towards the opposite of the aisle they are standing. 

The hybrid’s tail impatient thumps onto the carpeted floor. The Martian stares at it curiously. 

“What does yours mean?” Jongin questions his partner. Kyungsoo is caught off guard for a second then he realizes the hybrid was asking about his name. 

“Hard water.” He snickers a reply.

“I beg your pardon?” Jongin couldn’t take away the shock in his voice.  _ Was that a joke? _

“Yes, of course. It is a joke,” the agent replies. The hybrid must have said it out loud.

Soon they reach the elevator that will take them to the rest of the restricted floors. Kyungsoo silently pushes the button to the 46th floor.

The ride up is faster than Jongin initially thought. When it stops at their floor, they face over to the counter where a Vulcan is mending. To the Vulcan's back is the glass door with glowing words written: “Staff Only” on its surface. 

Kyungsoo walks over to the Vulcan, gaining her attention as she looks up at the Martian stoically. The agent slips over the rectangular device onto the table and the Vulcan takes it without a word. 

She then slots the device into a box as it begins to scan with a whirring noise. As soon the device finishes scanning, the glass door behind the counter opens with a low hiss. 

Just like that, they are granted access to the Compass archive. For the second time of the day, Jongin thinks it is not so bad to be partnered up with a UNiON agent. 

The room is filled to the brim with wall high shelves, covering all of its walls and there are only narrow walkways between each shelf. 

The shelves are slotted with a drawer of its own, obstructing the items inside it but there are carefully written labels describing what each contains. 

It is awfully archaic and inefficient for the Library standard. The hybrid gulps as he fears they might take up a whole day just to search for the correct drawer where the compasses are stored. He hopes the maps are stored inside the compasses instead of actual paper drawn ones. 

Fortunately there are only two shelves designated for the compasses of the planets discovered before the collapse of the First World. It is understandably less packed than the shelves designated for the planets administered after the UNiOn was established. 

At least they are sorted out in alphabetic order so that it takes Jongin less than a minute to find the map of the planet they were looking for. The compass of Daian is neatly stored inside a clear plastic box. 

He hands it over to his partner. Of course, Jongin can read compasses as it is one of the basics of his job if he were to deliver items across the galaxy but from the corner of his eye, he could see how excited the Martian is to inspect this archaic-looking compass.

Kyungsoo clicks opened the latch of the plastic box. Inside it, the compass of Daian sits prettily with a glinting glass exterior. Its arrows are pristine as it accurately points to the South. The agent flips the compass to its back and he pushes the edge where an empty space is located. 

The compass opens without a sound and begins to illuminate the blueprints of the planet Daian into the open air. 

Maybe due to the age, it has been archived, the blue light is faint and the words are a little difficult to decipher. Jongin hovers over the Martian as the latter jots down some coordinates from the illuminated blueprints onto his  _ BIO _ . 

Jongin notices that the Martian’s  _ BIO  _ is made out of sleek black material and there are no visible copper lines on its surface like most  _ BIOs _ . Jongin wonders if it has anything to do with his partner being an S class agent because he has already seen Byun’s  _ BIO  _ and it is almost identical to the hybrid’s. 

“Why do you think they didn’t put up the Blueprints of these planets into our route finders?” Jongin asks his partner even though he knows the answer to his question. 

Kyungsoo stops for a moment from jotting down his notes and looks up at Jongin. His reptilian eyes blinking big and wide, “It is to keep them away from scavengers.” He answers simply. 

_ Scavenger _ s. A group or groups of species from across the galaxies either do not belong to any communities or are exiled by their original home planet. They cannot be even categorized as lawless because there aren’t any records of them written down to acknowledge their existence. They just simply don’t exist.

Worse, the Peace Treaty signed between the Colonies and the UNiOn prevents any outside civilization to flourish without recognition stamped by the UNiOn. A flawed system but it has been accepted by most that it is “effective” in keeping wars from breaking out over petty disagreements. 

And besides it is common knowledge that the First World collapsed because their ancestors were unable to colonize the rogue planets, now restricted, and that is one of the main reasons why the UNiOn was established. To prevent the next generation from making the same mistake. 

_ Curiosity kills the cat. _ Byun has recited that phrase from the old Earth when Jongin has questioned him about the Founder’s ship lost in Neptune. It has been taboo for many to not even think about the incident where they had lost the UNiOn’s Founding Family in an ill-fated shipwreck in Neptune. Not long after a Civil war was triggered and many had argued that the shipwreck was the last straw that broke the peace in Neptune.

Manners aren’t really the priority when Jongin was brought up in a lab, to begin with. He never truly understands why it is forbidden to question something so simply but he has learned to not cross the line as he grows up. 

But for the first time in a while, instead of pretending he doesn’t care about the single-handed dealings of the UNion towards the many civilizations in the galaxies, he wants to be honest with his Martian partner. They have known each other for less than four hours and here he is wondering if he should share his honest thoughts with a UNiON agent. 

“I don’t think so,” Jongin looks around the shelves beyond his left, focusing on the alphabet  _ L _ . 

“There has to be something more than scavengers that no one is allowed to access the planets of the First World,” he continues as he walks over to the shelf that houses the drawers for the planets starting with the letter  _ L _ . 

“And you know why. I feel like you and Byun are hiding something from me,” Jongin pulls down the drawer and his fingers glide over to the box that contains the compass of Lund. 

“Actually, not just me. Dare I say, the UNiOn?” Jongin finally turns to the agent who is still crouched down and holding onto the compass of Daian. 

Kyungsoo looks up at Jongin with pitiful eyes. He heaves a sigh and puts the compass of Daian back into its box then closes the drawer along with it inside. 

“If I tell you the reason, will you put back the compass of Lund?” The agent negotiates instead. 

“Why? You guys wanted me to come to the Library in the first place,” Jongin hisses, he is done pretending that he doesn’t mind being moved like a pawn in this stupid game. 

“That, I do not know. But Jongin, I promise you that it is beyond both me and you to know where Lund is. It is hidden for a purpose. Please do not try to find it,” Kyungsoo answers patiently. 

“What of it that you guys are so concerned about me finding Lund?” Jongin presses as he clutches the compass of Lund even tighter in his hand. 

“What of it!?” Kyungsoo grits out with a huff. “I don’t know. Maybe it is completely irresponsible for an unauthorized body to access the Colonies’ biggest maximum prison that holds the galaxies’ most dangerous criminals,” He finishes sarcastically. 

“It is hidden for a reason beyond your jurisdiction,” Kyungsoo says as he walks past Jongin to snatch the compass from his hand. The hybrid throws the compass to his back so that his tail could catch it and hold it further from his partner. 

“This is not a game. Please stop being childish,” the Martian says sternly. When he tries to reach up the compass, Jongin pushes Kyungsoo’s chest with a sturdy palm. 

“You are no judge for that. Tell me why I am chosen for this goddamn delivery or I will knock you down,” Jongin sneers. Kyungsoo backs away with a swift jump. 

But before Jongin can walk away, he is tackled to the floor with a pair of thighs squeezing his sides and a weight pinning onto his chest. Due to its sudden momentum, his tail has failed to grip the compass, sending it flying across the ground. 

Kyungsoo has pinned down his wrists with a strength incomparable to Martian's physique. The apparent shock from the hybrid’s expression has prompted the agent to speak up first. 

“You seem to forget that I am an S class agent,” Kyungsoo says matter of factly. He stares down into Jongin’s feline eyes before he moves to get up from literally sitting on the hybrid’s chest. His tight clutch on Jongin’s wrists loosens as he moves away from pinning the latter down. 

Using the shift in pressure, Jongin plants both his feet onto the floor, which jostles the agent to the left as he lands on the floor with a dull thud. 

When Kyungsoo lets out a groan from the impact, Jongin is already hovering over the agent with one of his hands loosely circling the latter’s neck. The hybrid has let his claws out dangerously close to the agent’s skin. 

“And you seem to forget that I can also kill you, Agent,” Jongin bites out the last part. He feels feral and unhinged. This hostile side of him wanting to dominate the other has risen up to a notch when he was easily pinned down by the agent. He wants to win and the pettiness to play dirty tricks swarms over his head as his claws automatically retract and extend from his fingertips. 

Kyungsoo doesn’t move. His breathing is steady and his expression blank. Instead, he looks at Jongin with a stern look and says “Are you done throwing your tantrum?” 

Jongin’s tail flickers with amusement. It momentarily shifts Kyungsoo’s reptilian eyes towards its direction. The hybrid finally lets go of the agent and moves away from the latter. He offers his hand for the agent to which the agent surprisingly accepts and uses it to pull himself up.

“I will explain the details on the ship. But please put the compass of Lund back,” Kyungsoo finally says as he walks away from Jongin. 

Jongin doesn’t answer but he does put the compass back into its drawer. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lol, Jongin and Kyungsoo can also let off their sexual tension in the public library as treat. Lmao, why am I horny like that?


	4. Mission: Classified

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think, there are no specific terms I need to explain for this chapter since I wrote them all out in detail inside itself lol. 
> 
> But please watch the show called Alien Worlds, it is available on Netflix and the show is bomb!
> 
> Yet again, I have referenced ancient Roman and Greek civilizations as well as stole the Orion species from Star Trek lol. 
> 
> Man... space opera is real cool.

“How did you find out?” Kyungsoo questions him on their way back to Areum. Jongin still hasn’t completely shaken off the adrenaline from their brawl inside the Library, making him jittery. 

He doesn’t initially plan on fighting the agent, just to spook him a bit but his hesitant led the other to tackle him instead. Not really humiliated by the incident but Jongin puts his guard higher around Kyungsoo. 

Like some wounded cat. 

“I heard from one of the folks from my previous delivery that the UNiOn is moving cruisers towards the rogue planets. Now that is not a move you should be making if you are planning to sign a Peace Treaty with them right?” Jongin tells the agent. 

Kyungsoo enters the ship first, he takes off his cloak and neatly folds it over the crook of his elbow. 

“I suppose not. I am with the Internal Affairs so I am not involved with the terrestrial missions assigned by the Exploration Department. And I hope you believe me when I say I have no ill intention towards you,” Kyungsoo says as he sits down. 

“Then why didn’t you tell me that this is not a UNiOn mission?” Jongin presses. 

“Because it is above my rank. Advisor Byun holds a lot of responsibilities over many departments in the UNiOn and one of the divisions he oversees is that of the Internal Affairs. Like you already suspected, I was appointed to conduct this mission under Advisor Byun’s command and of course, he wanted me to partner up with you.” 

Jongin gestures at Kyungsoo to continue. 

“We received a tip from our informant when the Meido turned up at the Bay. That, Higher Orders are clawing at each other to get their hands on the pearl. Two of our senior agents actually retrieved the pearl, it didn’t just  _ show up _ at our Treasury.” Kyungsoo takes something out of his pocket. It is the device he showed the Vulcan in the Library. 

“This is S.I.D, Special Internal Dock. These are used to get access to restricted areas. Well as long as they are administered under the UNiOn. Advisor Byun gave this to me just before I boarded your ship. Only him and a handful of other high ranking officers are given these so you were right. No one actually knows about my mission to Daian.” Kyungsoo confirms Jongin’s suspicion. 

“But that doesn’t answer my question. If you can get access to the compass of Daian, you don’t even need me to deliver the Meido to the High Priestess. Unless…,” Jongin doesn’t finish his sentence. 

Kyungsoo chuckles, his face lighting up with white glow. “I see why Advisor Byun likes you,” he finishes rather fondly, making Jongin flush. 

“Aside from the fact that you are very capable, I need extra hands for this mission. You see, I cannot carry somebody by myself,” Kyungsoo elaborates. “This is a two-part mission. We are going to rescue the Prince of Orion.” The Martian grins.

_ Prince of Orion.  _ The Orions?. They have long been extinct, even before the First World collapsed. They were the original inhabitants of Neptune, wiped out of existence by a series of natural disasters and the Civil War triggered by the Coup d’etat against the Royal Family. 

“So we are actually doing an extraction mission in the guise of delivering the Meido to the High Priestess. Please tell me, we aren’t going to pretend to give her the pearl right?” Jongin asks with a whine. This mission already has way too many plot twists. 

“I am sorry about that,” Kyungsoo answers apologetically. Before the agent could confirm, the hybrid already knows that the pearl isn’t going to get a hand-off. These bastards at the UNiOn. Or is it just Byun’s doing? 

“As you know, the High Orders have been living in recluse for many years and out of nowhere their collective interest in a pearl from the First World is too suspicious to be just a coincidence. The tip we get from our informant is that the High Priestess of Daian has a private garden inside the Temple. Only she can enter it and recently she has been anxious about something and paranoid enough that she has been staying inside the garden instead of her chambers. 

“So your informant is one of her attendants,” Jongin comments offhandedly. Kyungsoo beams at him as if he is a student who just got a question right. The same stirring feeling in his stomach arises again. The hybrid chooses to ignore it. 

They have an official schedule where they will be meeting the High Priestess at the Temple of Daian. The High Priestess would open and guide them with a route to enter the Planet’s atmosphere when the time to their hand-off closes by. They need to get inside the Planet before the schedule. 

That is why Byun asked for both Kyungsoo and him to conduct the mission. An in-and-out mission with an escape route if the rescue mission failed. He hopes Kyungsoo has already drawn a route to enter the planet. So, Jongin tells him just that. 

“Usually if it’s a normal planet, I can just draw the route using the refraction from the planet’s star but Daian is rogue so I can’t use the lightmap to see the weakest point of atmosphere,” Kyungsoo begins to explain as he clicks to open a projector to show the draft of the map for entry to the Planet Daian. 

For the planets that orbit a star or stars, the route makers draw a path from the light reflection of those planets. These reflections are the spectrum of light containing a rainbow of chemical components that make up the atmosphere of these planets. It is an advanced technique used since the Astro-exploration period of the First World. 

But before pathfinder’s abilities are utilized in the extraterrestrial missions, the ancestors of the First World, especially the members of the Orient Origin, fell victim to the unpredictable nature of the rogue planets. Since then the UNiOn has avoided trying to unite the rogue planets into the Colonies. 

Not many know of how the High Orders managed to build habitats in these rogue planets but they never communicate with the rest of the Colonies so little was known about them. Jongin hopes Kyungsoo’s ability could at least let him safely land Areum because he doesn’t want his ship to snap into half. 

“But thanks to the compass of Daian, I think we already have an old path drawn by the cruisers of the First World. We will be able to enter the planet at 37 degrees to the North,” Kyungsoo elaborates as he points to the green point of the Planet Daian at which they will penetrate its atmosphere. 

“Can you install the map into the head system? I need to take a shower,” Jongin requests the agent. Kyungsoo nods in confirmation. 

Inside the showers, Jongin recounts the first time he met Byun. He believes it was right after the UNiOn caught the Professor and tried him for the Neptune Project. 

He remembers clearly as day as he was treated in one of the many hospital rooms inside the UNiON headquarters. With no kin to visit him and no register of his birth, the UNiOn had a hard time trying to relocate him into a foster home. Maybe that is why he empathizes with scavengers despite others' disdain against them. 

Byun doesn’t look a day older than when Jongin first met him, droopy eyes with a permanent smile on his face. He has informed Jongin that the Professor has been sentenced to life under 24 counts of illegal cloning, 5 counts of manslaughter, 1 count of child endangerment, and 3 counts of fraud. Later Jongin learns that the Professor has been sent to Lund. 

For many years, Jongin doesn’t know how he feels about the origin of his existence. He was never put into a foster home and instead he resided in one of the witness protection housing until he came of age. 

When he saved up enough from doing odd jobs, he bought Areum from a shady reseller online. Of many things he has been scammed from, thankfully Areum wasn’t one of them. She was the prototype sold after the new model was released after the successful launch of her delivery style ships. 

He sticks with the code name K:A:1 when he does his deliveries, holding down the tag number attached to his ankle when the UNiOn busted the Neptune Project. It is rather comforting knowing that he made it out of that awful nightmare. 

Jongin knows that Byun doesn’t want him to go to Lund since he fears that Jongin might try to confront the Professor over the crimes he had done to him. Even Jongin doesn’t know for sure if it is the confrontation or closure that he wants. Nevertheless, he wouldn’t know a clue if he doesn’t go to Lund to find it out. 

They eat dinner silently and the only sound surrounding them is the cluttering of Jongin’s cluttery. The Martian was surprised by the extensive collection of the hybrid’s silverware. Although Jongin can see the curiosity, because of their fight inside the Library, the tension between them is a little too thick to write it off as mere bickering. 

They have already reviewed their plan to rescue the Orion Prince. Kyungsoo has drawn up a three-point strategy. Once they land in the field that Kyungsoo found out to be a secluded meadow where they will use its tall weed-like plants to camouflage Areum. They will enter the Temple of Daian through one of its river canals that serve as the water source for the residents inside the temple. 

The Temple of Daian was built using the architectural structures of one of the ancient civilians from the First World so they are pretty sure that modern-day sensors cannot be installed inside the walls or they hope at least it is true. 

Naturally, the canals serve as the water irrigation system for the private garden inside the temple. 

Kyungsoo has figured that the Orion Prince might be kept inside the greenhouse where the High Priestess has been frequenting more than usual. The informant who has been serving as her attendant has found her staying inside for long hours and occasionally heard conversations being exchanged. 

It is already creepy enough that she has been holding someone captive for whatever reason, Jongin feels like there is more to what they are being observed. Kyungsoo talks about the connection between the Orion Royal Family and the Meido pearl, how it had been one of the Royal Family’s heirlooms that served as the Symbol of Truth in Neptune. 

Jongin doesn’t know how any material could possibly depict the virtues of Truth but he is also not one to care for any sort of symbolism or metaphors in life. It could be one of those debatable obsessions that crowds like High Orders or the folks from the UNiOn have over certain things. It could also be an act to stay superior among others. Nothing more than just a display of power. Philosophical debacles aside, he hopes the Orion Prince is alive, better yet if he could be well enough to walk by himself so that Jongin and Kyungsoo don’t have to literally carry him out. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't worry guys. Jongin is just being angsty. He will get over it.


	5. The Orion Prince

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay! Almost at the climax of the story and in the next chapter we have our smut coming!!!
> 
> I have some terms explained in the endnotes so be sure to read them.

“How come there is still a prince alive from the Orion royals?” Jongin asks the Martian when Areum is orbiting the atmosphere of Daian to penetrate it at the 37-degree angle. 

“That I don’t know. But he is the only one left from the Founding families of the First World and hierarchy wise, he is very important for the Order of Peace Treaty. Many of the powerful clans that were loyal to the Founding families are still waiting for the truth.” Kyungsoo explains, his expression is solemn. 

“I think their loyalty lies in the sovereignty of the Colonies. They are traditional despite how the times have changed. They are still hanging onto the symbolisms of the old world,” Kyungsoo continues. Jongin hums in thought. 

Indeed, the progress that the Colonies have made so far is hugely contributed by the consistent support of the Founding families so there is no brainer that these clans will stay loyal to them. Have they always known that the Prince has been alive all these years? If so, shouldn’t he be quite old now? Is this why the High Priestess is holding him hostage? What is she going to do with him? 

These questions swarm over Jongin’s head. What has he got himself into? He doesn’t want to be involved in any of this political nonsense. He has stayed away from them for a reason and yet he is caught up in this bullshit. 

_ Don’t tell me _ . Jongin thinks to himself. His involvement could be more than just a coincidence. Maybe Byun has chosen him specifically for the reason how he came into existence. 

_ The Neptune Project. _

“Gosh. She’s gonna do that! The fucking Neptune project!” Jongin grits out in horror. Kyungsoo stares at him in shock. The hybrid rubs his palm over his face. Of course, these idealists and narcissists worship the Professor. His philosophies are alive even after his detainment.

He quickly dials up to call Byun. Before the line can connect, it gets shut down with a loud beep on its interface. 

“What are you doing!? The waves will expose our location!!! What is going on, Jongin?” Kyungsoo rushes to his side. When Jongin glances down, the agent has gently wrapped his hands around Jongin’s freezing cold ones. 

“You don’t know,” Jongin finally says in realization as he stares back into the agent’s reptilian eyes. The Martian’s face is riddled with confusion. 

“What you know about the Neptune Project, what the UNiOn has been telling you and everyone else is so far from the truth. It is just the ending to the shitty fiasco how it started over.” Jongin decides he needs to let the agent know. 

=========

_ The Neptune Project, as its name suggests, was aimed for the rehabilitation of the civilization on Planet Neptune and a long-running search party for the survivors of the Founding families that were involved in the shipwreck.  _

_ After the civil war of Neptune, the UNiOn had tried their very best to revitalize the planet despite the varying values of the remaining communities on the ruined planet. The head scientist, known as the Professor, was appointed to lead the project. Instead, it was later discovered that he was using the funds for the project to operate an illegal cloning lab instead.  _

_ Many had argued that he had gone mad due to his idealism to create perfect organisms but Jongin knew for a fact that the man is as sane as he can be. There were several children brought into the lab, many were from outside of Neptune and the rest were war orphans who had nowhere else to go. Jongin was too young to remember which unfortunate group he came from.  _

_ He didn’t even have a name. He was just Subject K-A1, the first prototype of the few hybrids who successfully lived through the testing stage. Many of his predecessors had fallen ill and died after their immune system repeatedly rejected the foreign objects being injected into their young little bodies. _

_ Not only that the Professor was also developing a procedure called Memory Transfiguration. A surgical procedure that aimed to transfer one’s memory to another body. Nobody, not even the UNiOn knew of the true intention behind the creation of this procedure. At least they figured that nothing good could come out of this madness so the files were classified and safeguard inside the vaults of the UNiOn Treasury. _

_ After the siege of the Neptune project, the UNiOn released the watered-down version of what went down. Only a handful of UNiOn officials and Jongin knew of the horrible truth. Jongin was both the witness and the evidence used in the trial against the Professor. It was his survival that determined the verdict for the case and the Professor was sent to Lund to serve 12 consecutive life sentences.  _

  
  


=========

The agent looks like he doesn’t know what to say to him. He neither offers words of condolences nor words of comfort. Silently observing Jongin with the serene look on his pale yet glowing face. 

“Thank you for telling me,” the agent says instead, the words seeping with genuine appreciation from being let in on the agony that has been haunting Jongin all his life. The hybrid smiles, warmth filling his chest as it bubbles into a burst of full-body laughter. Kyungsoo is a curious little thing. Though venomous if the agent wants to be, he feels like nectar for sweet starved creatures like Jongin. 

“There was a burglary in the Treasury a while ago, right before Meido showed up at the Bay. Several classified files including the Neptune Project and many others were stolen from the vault. My colleague and I were looking into the cause of the breach. We concluded that there had to be a conspiracy from the inside. The UNiOn has been careful enough to not digitalize the case files to prevent hacking but they didn’t consider physical files are easier to steal. So Advisor Byun took charge of the investigations. We linked the stolen files to the rapid collection of First World heirlooms across the Colonies. Despite all our efforts, the high officers wouldn’t listen to our theories of rebellion sparking among the rogue planets. Advisor Byun told me that he chose you because of your unbiased stand in politics. I believed him and I truly didn’t know your involvement in the Neptune Project.” Kyungsoo explains carefully. 

Jongin really cannot blame the agent for trusting Byun. He is well respected in the UNiOn and his influence is far more extensive than Jongin could ever imagine. Despite often presenting himself as a nonchalant fool, Jongin has always known that his godfather thinks unlike one. The human tends to maneuver others into a position he wants them to be rather than directly commanding them to do so. Jongin has the first-hand experience with that tactic. 

The hybrid has named himself Jongin after reading the story about a vigilante with the same name. It was from a book Byun brought to the hospital the hybrid was staying after the siege of the Neptune Project. Byun had joked that it was to test out Jongin’s literacy and intelligence. Years later, he found out that it was the human’s way of navigating Jongin into the normalcy of life outside from the horrid walls of the laboratory he was born in.

“Permission to land. Engines in Initiation,” Areum announces robotically. They have safely made it past the dense atmosphere of Daian. The meadow as depicted in the old compass of Daian is true to its description as its vast purple plants perfectly camouflaged the silver spaceship. Jongin shuts down the mainframe to reduce the noise emitting from Areum’s engines. The backup engine can run up to 36 hours without interruption and according to their calculation, it is plenty of time to make it to and fro from the temple then back to the ship. 

“The temple’s underground has three canals connected in the middle. The garden has to be located where the canals meet. We can enter through the canal from the South since the water current is the lowest in that one. Our informant said that there is an hour time gap between the High Priestess’s stay inside the greenhouse and her normal attending duties in the main hall. So if we could make it there right after she left, we can take the prince away,” Kyungsoo says as he simultaneously packs the items they would need to enter the canals. 

Jongin examines the carefully hand-drawn map of the layouts of the canals as well as the structure of the temple. The meticulous work is visually easy to understand and at the same time methodologically professional. 

“Which canal has the strongest current?” Jongin questions the agent as he too prepares to ready for their route towards the canal.

“The northern one. It is the closest to our ship but the current is too strong for us to make it out before the time gap,” Kyungsoo answers. 

Jongin stores the information away. Just in case. 

They walk outside of the meadow in their stealth boots and realize that the ground is sandy yet solid. Kyungsoo crouches down to feel the dirt in between his fingers, his reptilian eyes laser-focused on them. 

“The ground is warm. Someone has already landed here just before us,” Kyungsoo says in an alert. 

“Could be the patrol from the Temple,” Jongin tries to appease. He doesn’t need new worry before they could safely make it out of this mission. 

Soon they arrive at the metal gate where the canal will lead them to the secret garden inside the temple. Kyungsoo takes out a little black baton and when he clicks a button at its tapered end, a small beam of blue laser appears with a sharp whine. 

The agent carefully maneuvers the laser into a circular motion and the metal bar burns into dust. Jongin whistles in acknowledgment, the UNiOn sure has all these fancy gadgets. 

Both him and Kyungsoo are clad in black bodysuits, the ones administered to the UNiOn agents only but the nature of their mission has a possibility for combat and contact with water so it’s a better option than Jongin’s spacesuits. 

They slowly wade through the clear water, where the stones beneath it feel smooth despite the thick sole of their sheath boots. There is only the sound of their steady breathing and the occasional dribble of water from the canal ceiling hitting the calm current beneath it. 

Once they hear the quick rush of water, they know they have come to the end of the Southern canal, where all the three other canals meet in the middle. 

Jongin lets out a gasp. He has never seen such kind of structure in all his travels in the galaxy. The place reminds him of fantastical lands written in storybooks of the First World. 

At the bottom where all the water from the three canals meets, there stand giant marble columns that are lifting a dome-shaped glass building. The garden looks like an intricate network of spiderweb being suspended in the air. There are green-tinted glass tubes and pipes intertwining the steel frame of the dome as it forms a curtain of secrecy along with the lush green inside the dome. 

While Jongin marvels at the architectural beauty of the garden, Kyungsoo stays mute. Instead, he points his open palm up at the bottom of the dome from where they both are standing, right at the end of the Southern canal. A flash of light glides out from the tiny straps from the tip of the Martian’s fingertips. 

Both of their  _ BIO _ s beeps at the same time. “I just sent you the blueprints of the garden,” Kyungsoo supplies. So that was a photograph. 

“We can climb up from the side. There is an old servant stair where it will lead us to the manhole. That is the only way,” Kyungsoo informs, his expression serious as ever. 

The stairs are easy to find, its material as mentioned by the agent looks rusted and raggedy as if barely hanging on at the side of the marble columns. They swiftly climb through the groaning metal and it occasionally sways from the sudden weight of two, which slows down their process to get to the dome garden. 

Once they reach the top of the stairs, there is a ladder leading them to the bottom of the garden. Jongin looks into his BIO and the preset time gap for when the High Priestess is ticking near. He counts them silently and when the number turns to zero, he channels all of his upper body strength into his left shoulder. Then he barrels the manhole cover with a sudden force, it groans open with a grind. 

The hybrid peeks his feline ears and directs them to catch any sounds around the opening. When he deems it safe enough, he pulls up his head out of the metal cover. There is nothing out of ordinary aside from the vast sprawl of lush greens surrounding the near vicinities. Jongin crawls up into the marble tile of the garden. 

He doesn’t wait for his partner to follow him when sees another glass compartment directly from where he climbed up. It isn’t as clear as the pipes and tubes which web over the exterior of the dome. The glass compartment looks more like an aquarium than a greenhouse. There are bubbles of gas moving from the bottom of the compartment. 

Upon closer inspection, Jongin realizes that it is shaped in the form of large-sized test tubes. Cylindrical in general shape with a round edge tapered to the top, there are blue-hued lights spreading from its sides and the bottom has a dock-like charging station. 

“Jongin, is that…” Kyungsoo calls for him in awe. The hybrid nods in confirmation. He can feel his tail puffing in fear. 

The Orion Prince they are looking for is locked inside a Cryogenic Tube. Who knows how long he has been frozen in time?

“You have got to be kidding me,” Jongin says in exasperation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cryogenic Hibernation Capsules - I am not really well-versed in this but I drew the inspiration from Resident Evil. So basically it is a big tube where they store the body, legally presumed dead. It is a real and actual practice being conducted in some parts of the world. So as long as the brain structure is intact, it is to reupload the consciousness back into the vessel. I hope I explain it okay. If you are interested you can look up the Resident Evil trivia, it's quite cool.
> 
> And also I guess, you guys have already guessed who is the Last Prince of Orion! 
> 
> Yell at me in the comments if you will, heheh.

**Author's Note:**

> Um please leave kudos and comments. 
> 
> Yell at me, please.


End file.
